The statement comes against the backdrop of a shift in security doctrine in Judea and Samaria that Katz initiated together with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu immediately upon his appointment to the position. Under the new doctrine, the defense minister instructed the IDF to change its method of operation and move from repeated entries and exits from the Jenin refugee camp to permanent takeover of the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur a-Shams refugee camps.
Katz explained that these refugee camps had become terror nests in which Iranian-backed jihadist terror battalions operated, launching terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria and into Israeli territory. During the operation, all 40,000 residents of the camps evacuated, the IDF eliminated the terrorists, destroyed terror infrastructure, including many homes and narrow, booby-trapped streets, and remained in the camps on a permanent basis.
The operational results of the shift in doctrine were significant: "As a result, the scope of terror in Judea and Samaria dropped by 80% to its lowest level ever, and the ability to carry out attacks inside Israel decreased greatly," the defense minister reported. "Many lives were saved and many injuries prevented, and the challenges are still many."
Katz emphasized that the IDF's long-term presence in the camps is an operational-security matter required to save the lives of Israeli soldiers and civilians in the face of serious threats and activity by Iranian-backed and Muslim Brotherhood-backed jihadist elements from outside to advance October 7-style terror activity in Judea and Samaria as well.
"It is not Bagatz's business to intervene in security considerations of this kind, just as it is not its business to intervene in operational activity in Gaza, in Syria, in Lebanon or in Iran," the minister clarified. He added that his position on the matter is clear and he intends to ensure it is expressed in any discussion held on the subject going forward.
At the end of his statement, Katz warned: "On this matter I do not intend to compromise even if it requires special legislative procedures in the Knesset, this is our duty to our soldiers and citizens and we will stand by it."
